Table of contents
- What is a Bill of Materials (BOM)?
- The challenge: Time-consuming and inefficient manual BOM checks
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The solution: Automated checking of the spare parts list with just one click
- FAQs
An average spare parts list usually contains around 650 entries. Manually checking each line takes about 5 minutes, which means that processing the entire spare parts list, line by line, can take up to 2 weeks of working time for a single person.
Imagine that checking your spare parts lists is as easy as making your morning coffee - just the touch of a button away. Good news: With the new automated BOM Check, you get instant results at the touch of a button.
In this blog article, we explain everything you need to know about parts list verification, including the current challenges, and introduce you to our solution for automated parts list verification.
💭 How does an automated spare parts list check work in practice? In a webinar, our customer Bosch shared its first-hand experience and showed how the maintenance team at the Blaichach plant uses the function in its day-to-day work.
📽️ Watch the video clip!
What is a Bill of Materials (BOM)?
A Bill of Materials (also known as a parts list or BOM list) is a comprehensive overview of all spare parts that are assembled in a machine.
The main goal of a BOM Check is to check which items in the parts list are already in stock and which spare parts need to be purchased and in what quantity to ensure stable operation of the machine. It also checks for duplicate parts, obsolete components or discrepancies in part numbers, descriptions or specifications.
With industrial software solutions, companies can automate this verification process. This allows organizations to reduce manual work and thus minimize the risk of manual errors, which ultimately leads to increased operational efficiency. It also optimizes inventory management and reduces the risk of incorrect purchasing decisions by ensuring that a bill of materials is thoroughly checked and has the right data quality.
Reliable processing of parts lists is guaranteed:
🔄 Transparency and clean material master data management to avoid duplicates.
💸 Reduced procurement costs - only buy the parts that are not yet in stock.
📦 Reduction of inventory levels by having only the parts that are needed.
The challenge: Time-consuming and inefficient manual BOM checks
In order to determine which parts of a spare parts list are already recorded in their material master, material planners have to manually search for each part in their ERP system (e.g. SAP). This process is not only time-consuming, but also unintuitive and error-prone, as they have to rely on the search functions of their ERP system.
Together with insufficient material master data, the right materials are often overlooked even though they are already available and in stock.
The combination of highly manual work and limited search options leads to an error-prone process. This is particularly critical if existing spare parts are not found in the material master, leading to costly duplicates in inventories and high procurement costs.
"One of the biggest challenges our customers face today is the significant manual effort required to check BOMs. In addition to manually checking each item, they also find it difficult to search for spare parts in their ERP systems due to duplicate entries and basic search capabilities. Fortunately, we offer a simple and quick solution to save time, reduce procurement costs and regain control of inventory."
Marc Hild
Head of Customer Success at SPARETECH
The solution: Automated checking of the spare parts list with just one click
"Over the past few years, SPARETECH has assisted leading manufacturers such as Bosch, Nestlé and BMW incorporate data intelligence into their industrial spare parts management. With our new automated BOM Check, customers have been able to save over 57% of the manual effort required to process new BOMs, and avoid buying parts that are already in stock. Ultimately, the automated BOM Check reduces free cash flow and provides better control over spare parts inventory."
Dr. Lukas Biedermann
Founder & Managing Director of SPARETECH
SPARETECH's automated BOM Check uses intelligent algorithms to automatically check your spare parts lists and compare them with your material master, resulting in the following:
Reduction of manual effort through an automated check against the material master
Upload your spare parts list in Excel or CSV format and our BOM check will automatically identify which parts are already in your material master and which are still missing. Immediate results are provided for your review to make the processing of a spare parts list more efficient.
Optimization of inventory levels by identifying the right material numbers
Our BOM check provides an automated solution to increase accuracy in finding the correct material number and ensure that no excess inventory is purchased by mistake.
Trust and control by providing tools to review the delivered results
The process is transparent as suggestions are provided in an intuitive user interface for review if multiple material numbers are found. This ensures that you remain in control of the results while making the review of the delivered results as user-friendly as possible
Flexibility through a consolidated export file
You can download the results at any time via an Excel file, including the identified material numbers. This way, you can easily share the results with internal colleagues and your machine builders to continue working on the spare parts list.
FAQs
Can I use the automated BOM Check on its own or do I also need other SPARETECH solutions?
The automated BOM Check can also be used on its own. The link with other SPARETECH solutions offers you further advantages, so that you have your spare parts data under control. For example, you can use the Digital Workflow to create new materials directly from the SPARETECH app.
What are the requirements for using the automated BOM Check?
All we need is a copy of your material master. Contact us to find out more.
For what purposes can I use the automated BOM Check?
You can use our solution for a classic BOM check. In addition, our solution offers you the flexibility to compare any lists and stocks against your material master.
What does the automated BOM Check cost?
We offer various packages to suit your needs. Contact us to find out more.
💡 Find out more about our new automated BOM Check.